If pumpkin pie and creme brûlée had a baby, this is what it’d grow up to be. Delightfully creamy, almost luxuriously so, with a lightly spiced pumpkin flavor baked in a flaky pastry crust.

If you’re looking for a something a little bit different this Thanksgiving, but not SO different that your family will revolt (I’ve also been working on a purple sweet potato pie recipe so you’ll understand what I mean here)… look no further than this Pumpkin Custard Tart.

Whereas pumpkin pie is what I’d call a custardy pumpkin filling, this tart is a pumpkiny custard, light and ultra creamy with just a hint of pumpkin flavor and spice.

If you’re the type that finds pumpkin pie too dense and squashy, this recipe might be right up your alley. It’s got the essence of pumpkin, without the weight of it.

The recipe is based on a French custard tart or Parisian flan: a silky baked custard in a pastry crust. With the exception of the crust (a standard shortcrust vs a flakier pastry), it’s also quite similar to Portugese egg tarts, especially with regards to that final broil that leaves the top delightfully singed.

All it needs is a generous dollop of freshly whipped cream (bonus points if it’s spiked with bourbon or brandy) and you’re golden.

It’d be the perfect way to end your Thanksgiving feast (go out with a bang, I say!)

The tart itself consists of two basic parts that are surprisingly easy to assemble.

The crust is a basic short crust enriched with egg yolks that comes together quickly in a food processor and is surprisingly easy to work with. You roll it out immediately, no pre-chilling required, then drape it into the tart pan and trim the edges. Once it’s comfortably settled into the pan, then you chill it: the cold crust will hold its shape better while baking.

The unbaked crust is then filled with an egg and cornstarch-thickened custard, not unlike an egg-based homemade ice cream (the process to make it is basically the same, and in fact, this custard would make a mighty fine pumpkin ice cream!)

One characteristic of this style of French custard tart, unlike, say, a creme brûlée, is that the custard is first cooked and then cooled completely before being baked in the crust. Every recipe I looked at had this step. I’m not entirely sure as to the science of it, and I did not test pouring the warm custard right into the crust so I can’t say what might happen.

So be sure you leave yourself a few hours for the custard to cool (you can even make the crust and custard a day ahead of time, in fact I’d encourage it!)

I used a 9-inch tart pan here, but it would also work in a standard 8 or 9-inch pie pan (not a deep one, there’s not enough custard to fill it).

If you do use a tart pan like I did, just fill it to within 1/4-inch of the top edge of the crust: any fuller than that and you’ll have a heck of a time moving it to the oven (trust me, I learned that one the hard way).

How to know when it’s done? Luckily, this recipe is pretty forgiving. It’ll still be smooth and custardy if it’s overbaked a bit. Still, keep an eye on it. Ideally the edges should be fully set, but the center will still have a little movement to it: a jello-like jiggle when you disturb the baking pan. This should be a solid jiggle, not a liquidy one (that’s the best way I know how to describe it). Judge it for doneness the same way you would a cheesecake, for example.

After baking, the whole tart takes a ride under the broiler, where it develops its gorgeous speckled top.

Baking Tip: to prevent the edges of the crust from burning, cut out a foil shield before you put the tart in the oven. Fold a piece of foil in quarters and cut out a circular hole slightly smaller than the size of your tart pan, so the foil covers the edges of the crust but does not touch the custard itself.

When you are broiling the tart at the very end, keep a close eye on it, as it can go from not quite done to burnt if you aren’t paying attention. The tart is done when it has a nice speckling of brown spots on the surface of the custard.

And hopefully, if you’ve used your foil shield, your crust should be perfectly golden brown.

I know that being able to make a dessert ahead of time is one of my primary criteria for a Thanksgiving dessert, and this one fits the bill perfectly.

You can also easily make the crust and the custard one to two days ahead of time, then assemble and bake it off the day before.

The baked tart needs a solid 5 to 6 hours of chilling anyway, so you really have no choice but to make on Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Be sure to let it fully cool to room temperature before covering and chilling to prevent condensation from forming on the surface.